Means for washing lithographic printing surfaces



A118; 1927' B. .1. J. GOULDING MEANS FOR WASHING LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING SURFACES Original Filed June 5. 1924 Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,640,235 PATENT. OFFICE.

BENJAMIN JOSEPH JOHN GOULDING, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LINOTYPE AND MACHINERY LIMITED, 01 LONDON, ENGLAND, .A COMPANY OF. GREAT BRITAIN.

MEANS FOR- WASI-IING LITHOG-RAPHIC PRINTING SURFACES.

Original application filed June 3, 1924', Serial No.

and in Great Britain June 1 1923. Divided No. 160,818.

This invention relates to means for Washing printing surfaces employed in lithographic printing presses. It is particularly applicable for use in connection with-lithorotary offset web and other printing presses, and for that reason it is herein described in that connection.

As is well known and as described in Letters Patent No. 1,627,774, from which this application has been divided, the necessary washing as heretofore practised, is done manually by the operator, by means of a sponge wiped over the plate. it being necessary to either stop the machine or to run it very slowly for this purpose.

The present invention has for its object to facilitate the washing by reducing the manual labour and time occupied by the operation and to enable the said washing to be effected without the necessity of stopping and restarting the machine.

\Vith this object in view, the washing is carried out according to the invention by one or more non-rotatable pads, each having an operative surface of an absorbent resilient material, or a plurality of such surfaces, adapted to be brought into and out of contact with the surface to be washed, and to be moved relatively to those surfaces while in Contact therewith.

The invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are partly diagrammatic side and rear elevations of portion of a rotary printing press with the improved washing means applied thereto.

The form of pad according to the invention illustrated consists of a plurality of sections 1 secured co-a-Xially on a bar or shaft 2, hereinafter referred to as a pad shaft, each section having an operative surface, spaced apart from that of a neighbouring section, of spongy rubber or other absorbent resilient material, as described in the before mentioned Letters Patent No. 1,627,-

The pads 1 are carried in blocks or yokes 3 secured to the shaft 2 the axis of which is parallel with that of the plate cylinder 4: on which are secured the plates 5 whose surfaces are to be washed. The pad shaft 2 is sup- 717,488, Patent No. 1,627,774, dated May 10, 1927, and this application 'filcd January 13, 1927. Serial ported at its ends, with a capacity for move ment in the direction of its axis, in a pair of arms 6 pivoted at 7 on arms 8 which are themselves pivoted about the plate cylinder shaft 9. One of the arms 8 is formed with or has secured to it, a bracket or arm 10 to which is pivoted a bent or deflected lever 11 one arm of which has a bowl engaging a groove cam 12 fast on the plate-cylinder shaft 9 while the other arm is slotted and engages with a pin or stud 13 fast to the pad shaft 2. By this arrangement, which in the exampleillustrated is shown applied to the arm 8 represented at the left hand side of Figure 2, the pad shaft 2 is reciprocated axially during the rotation of the plate cylinder, and the pads 1 thereby moved parallel with the axis of the shaft 9.

The pads 1 are brought into and out of contact with the plates 5 by adjustment of the arms 6 relatively to the arms 8, about the (iii pivots 7, this being effected by a handle 14:

on one of the arms 6, which arm is provided with a slotted extension or lug 15, through which it may be locked, by a bolt 16, to the respective arm 8 in different positions of adj ustment, for either bringing the pads 1-int0 or out of contact with the plates 5, or for varying the pressure of said pads on the lates.

Although shown as applied to only one of the arms 6, i. e. that shown at the left-hand side of Figure 2, it will be understood that the arrangement comprising the hand lever let, lug 15 and bolt 16 may, if desired, be duplicated at the opposite end of the pad shaft 2.

curvilinear movement of the pads 1 over the surface of the plates 5'is secured by oscillation of the arms 8 about the axis of the plate cylinder shaft 9. In the constructional form illustrated, this oscillatory movement is derived from a shaft 17 extending across the machine parallel tothe plate cylinder 6 and rotated in journals in the machine frame 18 by suitable gearing (not shown in the drawings). An eccentric 19 at each end of the shaft 17 operates an eccentric rod 20 pivoted at 21 to the respective arm 8, both such arms being thus oscillated in unison.

It will be seen that by the operation of the lever 11 and eccentrics 19 the pad shaft 2 is simultaneously vibrated in a direction parallel to theaxis ofthe plate cyhnder i and oscillated about that axis, so that the pads l are 'iven the desired motion Jarallel with and curvilinearly over the surface of the plates 5.

Having described my invention, I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus for Washing lithographic printing surfaces, the combination of a power-operated pad shaft, a series of nonrotatable Jads thereon each havin an operativesurface of an absorbent resilient material, flIlCl HlGiUJS adapted to bring said 0perative surfaces into and. out of contact with the surface to be washed.

2. In apparatus for washing lithographic printing surfaces,the combination of a non rotating pad shaft, a series of spaced sections thereon each having an operative surface of an absorbent resilient material, means adapted to bring said operative surfaces into and out of contact with the surface to be washed, means adapted to reciprocate the shaft axially while the absorbent resilient material is in contact with the surface to be washed, and means adapted to move the shaft towards and away from the surface to be washed to vary the pressure of said material on that surface.

.3. In apparatus .for washing lithographic printing surfaces carried upon a cylinder, the combination with said cylinder, of arms pivotal. about its axis, a pad-carrying shaft extending parallel with said axis and carried in the. arms, a pad fast on the pad-carrying shaft having its operative surface of an ab sorbent resilient material, and contacting with the surface to be Washed, and means adapted to swing the arms about the axis of the cylinder while said contact is maintained.

l. in apparatus for washing lithographic printing surfaces carried upon a cylinder, the combination with said cylinder, of arms pivotal about its axis, a pad-carrying shaft extending parallel with said axis and carried in the arms with a capacity for moving therein only in a direction parallel with that axis, a pad fast on the pad-carrying shaft having its operative surface of an absorbent resilient material, and contacting with the surface to be washed, and means adapted to swing the arms about tne axis of the cylinder while said contact is maintained.

5. In apparatus for washing lithographic printing surfaces, the combination of a shaft, a series of spaced sections thereon each having an operative surface vofan absorbent resilient material, means, adapted to bring said operative surfaces into and out of contact with the surface to be washed, and means adapted to move the shaft parallel with and curvilinearly over the surface to be washed while the absorbent resilient mate rial is in contact with that surface.

6. in a rotary lithographic printingpress, the combination with a plate cylinder of arms angularly movable about the axis of said cy 'nder, a shaft mounted parallel with said axis, bearings for said shaft adjustably said axis, bearings for'said shaftadjustably mounted on said. arms, a series of spaced sections on said shaft each having an operative surface of absorbent resilient material, adapted to be brought into and outof contact with a plate on the plate cylinder by adjustment of the bearings on thefarms, means adapted to oscillate the arms about the axis of the plate cylinder, and means adapted to axially reciprocate the, shaft during' such. oscillation.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature hereto.

BENJAMIN JOSEPH J9EE GQEJLBENG. 

